


No One Likes to be Alone

by lululawrence



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alpha Louis Tomlinson, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, American Harry Styles, American Louis Tomlinson, Anxiety, Cuddling & Snuggling, DTR: Determine the Relationship, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Nervous Harry Styles, Nesting, No Smut, Omega Harry Styles, Protective Louis Tomlinson, Roommates, Scenting, Strangers to Lovers, Surprise Roommates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-09
Updated: 2021-01-09
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:07:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,069
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28225842
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lululawrence/pseuds/lululawrence
Summary: Harry was a full-on fucking failure.Letting out a whimper, Harry pressed his hands to his face as he finally allowed himself to cry. After a few sobs, he realized that something soft was pressed to his face, catching his tears instead of his hands. Harry pulled it away to see what it was and saw it was one of his sister’s shirts.Shaking his head, he turned and placed it very specifically right where he usually tucked himself up against the wall. As he carefully shifted the shirt so he could see the faded image of Britney Spears looking out at him, Harry was overcome with a need he had only ever felt once before.He needed to nest.
Relationships: Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson
Comments: 26
Kudos: 484
Collections: OmegaHarryFicFest





	No One Likes to be Alone

**Author's Note:**

> Imagine a silly, naive past Sus, confident in her decision that she was not going to sign up for the Omega Harry Fic Fest because she had too many commitments on her time as it was, plus the pandemic eating up more of her time etc etc etc. And then, a certain group chat came around. 
> 
> "There's a lot of nesting prompts," they said. "We know you like nesting."
> 
> "Don't," past Sus said. "I can't add anything more!"
> 
> A few hours later, in the middle of the night, pas Sus signed up and completely forgot about it until she got the confirmation email a few days later confirming she got her number one choice.
> 
> A slightly later past Sus then also signed up for a second prompt. She obviously has no idea how to say no to things she wants and then I am left to deal with the consequences. lollll ANYWAY. Nesting is... a passion, I suppose you could say, and when I saw this prompt I knew I had to write it. I had SO MUCH FUN doing it, too, so I hope you enjoy it as much as I very much enjoyed writing it!
> 
> Biggest thanks to [Maggie](https://disgruntledkittenface.tumblr.com) for her wonderful and thorough beta skills and amazing cheerleading! She's the best. All remaining mistakes are entirely my own.
> 
> The title is from Gimme What I Want by Miley Cyrus because I'm obsessed with her new album. 
> 
> This fic is a work of fiction and all the words are my own! I do not know anyone depicted in this story, I have no claim to them, etc etc etc. Please do not share this fic with anyone associated with those written about in this fic and please do not post this fic anywhere. If I want it there, I will do it myself. I also do not allow translations without my express permission. 
> 
> Thank you and I hope you enjoy!

Harry’s hands shook as he tried to tap out a single stimm. They naturally all stuck to each other inside the bottle until, all at once, they dumped into his hand, some spilling onto the floor.

“Shit,” he muttered, holding onto his bedframe as he crouched down to make sure he had gathered all of them. Stimms were expensive, he couldn’t afford to lose any. Especially at the rate he was using them this semester.

Reassured he hadn’t missed any, he stood back up and put the bottle back into its special spot in the corner of his sock drawer before grabbing his smoothie and popping the stimm. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back, focusing on taking deep breaths and counting slowly in an attempt to calm his racing heart.

He knew he was stressed and there was a lot going on right now, but he’d had a lot of pressure before and it never felt like this. It must be the effect of being away from his familial pack. He knew there were risks, but he’d been reassured that he would quickly find another pack he would fit in with for his time at school. He had foolishly believed them and not been afraid to move several hours away from home.

And now look at him. He’d been gone for eight weeks, two whole months, and he still didn’t have a pack. Not even a potential pack. If he did, maybe he wouldn’t be so reliant upon his stimms. If he did, maybe he wouldn’t be stuck in a double room without a roommate.

It wasn’t Harry’s fault that his roommate had impulsively bonded with their long term alpha during their shared ruts just two weeks into the semester, he really did know that. But sometimes it felt like it. No one at school wanted to form any kind of relationship with him, yet Greg had. Harry thought they’d be friends, but then he’d just left. 

The school had allowed Greg out of his lease to get a shared space with his bondmate and had said they’d find Harry a new roommate so he wouldn’t get his rent doubled. Then he’d never heard back again, even after he tried to follow up.

The first few weeks had been fine because Greg’s pheromones still filled the space and helped keep Harry’s omega calm. His scent had faded, though, and now Harry’s omega was agitated because there wasn’t a single alpha or beta around to help soothe him. There wasn’t even an omega he was really close to who could help out.

Harry tried not to cry as he felt the stimms rush into his system, but he was so overwhelmed with relief it was a near thing. They helped with the worst of the symptoms, like the shaking in his hands and how unsteady he felt moving around, but they were no longer enough to calm the clawing anxiety that was coursing through his veins. 

If he hadn’t failed his multi-variable calculus exam today, he’d probably be feeling a lot better. That exam was worth a third of his grade in that course, and it was a foundation course. If he didn’t get at least a B, then he wouldn’t be able to move on to his higher level math or physics courses that were all required for his engineering courses. It was a requirement for almost every single one and if he was going to be able to keep on track to graduate in four instead of the traditional five years for this particular degree, he could not have a setback like missing the required grade in multi-variable calc.

Oh god, Harry was going to lose his scholarship, wasn’t he? All because he couldn’t focus while studying because he was worried about not having enough money to pay for his room by himself. Well, and the whole touch deprivation thing due to not having found a new pack yet.

Harry was a full-on fucking failure.

Letting out a whimper, Harry pressed his hands to his face as he finally allowed himself to cry. After a few sobs, he got confused, realizing that something soft was pressed to his face, catching his tears instead of his hands.

Blinking to clear away the tears enough that he’d be able to see what he was holding, he huffed in embarrassment. He had one of his sister’s shirts that he’d brought to school with him as a comfort item. He didn’t even remember picking it up.

Shaking his head, he turned and placed it very specifically right where he usually tucked himself up against the wall. Maybe when he went to bed tonight he could imagine she was laying on the bed with him, holding him and soothing him while he cried like she used to when they were younger.

As he carefully folded the shirt so he could see the faded image of Britney Spears looking out at him, Harry was overcome with a need he had only ever felt once before.

He needed to nest.

Harry tucked his hands under his arms and gulped in more deep breaths. No. He was  _ not _ going to succumb to the most basic instinct all omegas had but few allowed themselves to really bask in. Nesting was seen, even among omegas, as something that was done when an omega was weak. The only time nesting was ever really done was when an omega was carrying pups. The nest was crucial for omegas during pregnancy because it allowed them to fully relax and had proven to be beneficial to the health and strength of the pups. Any other time? Unacceptable.

Harry released a whine before looking towards Greg’s still empty bed. 

Wait. Empty bed. Harry didn’t have a roommate. Why should he feel embarrassment or shame over a nest that literally no one else knew existed? It was a natural inclination for a distressed omega, after all, and he was definitely distressed. He wasn’t weak, he was just doing what he could to manage the situation on his own.

Still feeling like he was doing something wrong, Harry finally allowed his body to move according to his instincts and almost manically built himself a nest in his bed. It was a rather pathetic nest, all things considered. It was all his own things that smelled only of him other than his sister’s shirt. 

Then Harry remembered. He had a few of his mom’s silk scarves in a ziplock baggie for emergencies. Now definitely constituted an emergency.

Harry went digging through his duffle bag that held his dress clothes his mom insisted he would need but he never did. There, at the bottom smashed between his shiny black Oxfords, was the ziplock baggie.

Harry remained knelt over his duffle as he opened the bag and held it up to his nose to take a long, deep breath. His mom’s deep, soothing alpha scent washed over Harry with all the familiarity he had been craving.

Harry scrambled to his feet and was almost back to his bed when the door to his room opened behind him. Confused, he turned around with the bag clutched to his chest to see who could possibly be entering his room.

Standing in front of him was the most gorgeous alpha Harry had ever seen in his life—and he smelled beyond incredible _. _ Just the first few whiffs of his scent had Harry feeling more stable and secure than he had in almost a month. 

Harry wanted something of his in his nest. No, he  _ needed _ something of his in his nest. Right now.

“Who are you?” Harry asked, though. His brain was finally starting to slow its spiraling descent towards the inevitable drop with this person in his room, but he didn’t know who he was. “Why are you here? How did you get into my room?”

“I…” the alpha looked around confused. “There is an open bed in this room, right? This is room 1828?”

“Yes,” Harry was able to reply. The conversation was getting more difficult to continue as his brain slowed down. He was glad he was finally relaxing, but he was relaxing too much now, almost like his body had been running at such an unnaturally high speed that now it was going to just shut down completely.

“Didn’t the university reach out to you? I was contacted a week ago about how I’d be able to move in today since my room recently became unavailable. You’re Harry, right?”

Harry wasn’t able to process anything the alpha was saying right now. All he knew was that he needed this alpha’s scent in his nest immediately so he could crawl in and cuddle it while he soothed his omega. 

“I need something of yours. Now,” Harry said, his head feeling a little foggy suddenly being thrust into the presence of an alpha when he was in the state he was.

“What? What exactly are you needing?” the alpha asked.

Harry held his hands out, grasping at air like a child. “I don’t know, I just need something. Please?” 

He couldn’t help the omega whine that laced his pleading, and it worked effectively. The alpha shoved a bag at Harry that smelled like it was a concentrated dose of his pheromones and it was everything Harry needed. He happily unzipped the bag and on top was a white hoodie, covered in what looked like grass stains that smelled like sweat and alpha. It was disgusting. It was everything Harry had been wanting.

Harry dropped the bag with the rest of the clothes to the floor and pulled the hoodie on. It fit him perfectly and made him feel like he was completely wrapped in the alpha’s scent. He blinked and looked at the bag, hoping for something more to add to his nest to hold onto while he allowed himself to come down from it all.

He pushed aside some sweatpants, boxers, and socks before finding an incredibly soft and worn t-shirt. Harry had always loved cuddling t-shirts, so he took that and left the bag on the floor before looking back to his nest. He saw his mom’s scarves sitting on the edge of the bed, and he felt a debate. He wanted both of them near him at once, but he wasn’t sure if the scents would work together. 

Some scents battled and were horrible when mixed. He didn’t want to ruin his nest this far into it and have to start over again. He took a quick sniff of the baggie again and the way her scent that seemed to bring up childhood memories within him laced around and complimented the alpha’s scent Harry was holding close to him now was as close to perfection as he could ever hope to get.

He took her scarves and used them to line the part of the nest that would cradle his head and he climbed in. Holding the alpha’s t-shirt to his chest, having his mom’s scent near his head, and knowing that his sister’s t-shirt was behind him even if he couldn’t smell her, Harry finally felt like his breaths were able to completely fill his lungs and his heart felt like it wasn’t fighting against him. He hadn’t realized how bad it had gotten until now, but as his body relaxed, he was able to recognize just how tense he had been and how exhausted he was from feeling that way for weeks now.

As he sank fully into his nest, Harry finally was able to realize what had happened. The alpha was his new roommate. Or, he would have been if Harry hadn’t been a total failure of an omega who wasn’t even able to suppress his nesting instinct properly. There was no way he would be able to fully apologize for his behavior. He’d basically demanded the alpha hand over his clothing for Harry to use for his nest! Harry was wearing the alpha’s gross hoodie right at this very moment, for heaven’s sake.

Harry whimpered and pulled the neck of the hoodie up and over his nose so he felt like he was hiding inside of the clothing. He really should take the hoodie off. It was honestly gross and ridiculous of him to be laying there, huddled in a stranger’s dirty clothing.

Maybe he would later. For now he needed it, and there was no denying that. If he wanted to avoid dropping, he needed to allow himself this for just a little bit longer. He’d deal with the alpha could-have-been-roommate later.

Speaking of, where had he gone? Harry hadn’t even noticed at first, too consumed with his nest, but the alpha very obviously was no longer in the room. 

Oh well. Add it to the list of Harry’s failures.

*~~***~~*

Louis angrily marched across campus. He was incensed. Livid. Irate. Enraged. He could come up with any number of words to describe his emotional state at the moment and none of them felt quite strong enough. All he knew was that he needed to speak to whoever was in charge of housing and omega support services, because there were clearly several break-downs in the actual programs based on what had just played out in the room with Harry.

He made his way into the student union before heading directly to the small office that served as the filter, of sorts, to only allow students who actually needed to be seen through to the actual services within.

“I need to speak with the heads of housing and omega support immediately,” Louis demanded as soon as he had the door open.

“I’m sure,” the guy sitting behind the desk said as he studied Louis over his glasses, clearly judgemental. 

Louis wanted to punch the alpha. “Don’t give me that tone. There are legitimate issues that should be taken care of right now because they never should have happened in the first place. There is an omega in distress in the dorms, possibly in depri, and he hadn’t even been informed that he was getting a new roommate today,” he spit out.

There was so much more he wanted to say. That Harry was so bad off he was  _ nesting _ and that they just gave an alpha access to his room when he was in such a state that he couldn’t have fought against Louis if Louis had come in with less than the best of intentions. But there was no way an alpha like the one sitting in front of him would ever understand. Plus Louis would never admit such personal and sensitive things to someone else without permission.

He couldn’t help the various scenarios that kept playing out in his head. His younger sisters, two of which were omega, being in similar situations of absolute neglect. Being surprised in the same way Harry had and in a similar state. He needed to calm his alpha down. All he wanted to do in that moment was cause utter destruction and yell until he was able to find the people he needed to be speaking with to get the situation taken care of. 

As it was, it took Louis nearly an hour of yelling and debating before he was finally sat in front of the heads for both departments.

“This is a lawsuit waiting to happen,” Louis repeated once more to the uncaring alphas sat in front of him.

“It’s only a lawsuit should something bad happen,” the woman in charge of housing said with her overly nasal, grating voice. “Nothing bad actually happened today, did it?”

“Only because it just so happened to be me who was assigned the room,” Louis cried, throwing his arms in the air. “Imagine what would have happened if it had been someone who wasn’t so in control of their alpha or, god forbid, someone near their rut?”

“Yes, but that isn’t what happened,” the woman said. “What exactly are you wanting to be done about this? Are you requesting yet another room?”

“No, at least, not yet. I have to speak with him still. Which brings me to you,” Louis said, turning to the man who was texting on his phone and not even paying attention to what was being said. What a poor excuse of an alpha. He was in no way concerned for those who were relying upon him for protection and support while away from their packs. “Aren’t there omega services if an omega is nearing touch deprivation or in other forms of distress?”

“Of course there are,” he said, not taking his eyes away from his phone and continuing to type. “We offer discounted stimms for omegas who need the additional support of artificial pheromones.”

Louis waited for him to say more, but it was obvious that was all he had to say for himself.

“That’s it?” Louis asked, eyebrows raised nearly to his hairline in shock. “That is all you’re offering to omegas away from their support for the first time in their lives? What about a system like you use for matching rut and heat partners? Isn’t there anything like that for when they need a boost?”

“There’s just really not the funding or infrastructure to support a program like you’re describing,” the man said slowly, obviously focused more on his phone than the issue at hand. “It would require a total overhaul with the insurance program at the school to get what you’re talking about approved in addition to more work-study positions to be approved for those providing the services…”

“Wow,” Louis said, sitting back in his seat and really looking at the alphas in front of him. “You truly don’t give a shit about the students at this school, do you?”

“Of course we do,” the head of housing said with a fake smile. “I have no idea what would make you say such things.”

“Listen,” Louis said, standing up and not holding back on a bit of his alpha timber lacing his words. “All I’m saying is I know for a fact there are donors to this school who would remove their support if they knew how students were being treated here. I won’t be holding back on sharing this experience on social media and I will personally promise you that there won’t be any others from my family to attend this university.”

The alphas smirked, knowing his threat held no real weight for them, and Louis took his leave. He flipped off the alpha working the front desk as he made his way back outside to the crisp, fall air and tried to allow the cool air to literally and figuratively cool him down.

How ridiculous. He was still carrying all of his belongings outside of the bag of dirty clothes he’d handed Harry, and now he was headed across campus with them for a third time that day. 

It was only as Louis was halfway back to the room before he realized he didn’t even know if Harry had consented to an alpha roommate. All of that yelling and Harry’s consent to the situation had been something Louis had taken for granted. He had assumed that Harry had been given every consideration that he had been, but it was obvious that the omega was at a distinct disadvantage. 

Louis pulled out his phone and opened a text with his former roommate, Liam, as he paused and stood beneath a fiery red maple tree. He might need to stay on Liam and Nick’s couch for a little longer if it turned out that Harry wasn’t comfortable with an alpha roommate and it was pointless walking all the way over to the room if he was just going to have to walk back over to Liam and Nick’s.

After he sent the text asking for a possible extension to their welcome, Louis looked in the direction of his new dorm and hoped that he’d be allowed back into the room. If nothing else, he really would like to get his dirty laundry back.

Louis considered everything his mom had taught him about omegas in distress. She’d told him that they relied heavily on pheromones, but that they also needed physical support and scenting. All things considered, Louis was likely needed in a very real way. It didn’t negate the fact that he was a stranger, though. Trust was important for an omega to be able to relax and heal using the contact with an alpha.

And what was he doing just standing there in the middle of the quad? Sure, it was a gorgeous fall day, but he was never going to learn about Harry’s actual thoughts and feelings regarding Louis being his roommate if they didn’t talk about it. He was going to need to get his ass back to the room and hope that between Louis’ scent and some time alone in the nest, Harry was in a much better headspace to talk.

*~~***~~*

Harry was starting to get nervous now. The alpha had been gone for hours, he was pretty sure. He’d had enough time to come down from the worst of it as well as clean up the nest and straighten up the room so it was pristine and ready to impress his new alpha roommate. But what if he  _ didn’t _ return? Harry had a lot of making up to do, but was he not going to even have a chance?

Picking at the sleeve of the hoodie where a small hole had formed in the cuff, Harry considered taking it off and putting it back in the bag. He’d hidden the soft t-shirt that didn’t smell sweaty or dirty at all, it just smelled warm and homey. Harry loved how it felt against his cheek too. He wasn’t ready to give it back. If the alpha came for the clothes and left immediately, then maybe he could even keep it to sleep with until the scent was gone.

Harry sat down on his bed and crossed his legs, staring at the bare mattress across the room from him until there was a knock at his door, pulling him out of his trance.

He wondered who it could be. He never had visitors. When he opened the door, he found the alpha from before standing in the hallway, looking concerned.

“You knocked,” Harry said. “Don’t you have a key? That’s how you got in before, isn’t it?”

“Well, yeah,” the alpha said, reaching up and patting his fringe to the side. “But you didn’t know I had a key and didn’t expect anyone earlier. I figured I could at least show you enough respect to allow you to choose whether someone entered your space or not.”

“Oh.” Harry was a little thrown off. It had taken such a small amount of time to get accustomed to being treated without respect, it was incredibly sad. He wasn’t sure what it said about him, actually, but it really was a breath of fresh air to have an alpha treat him like an equal. He hadn’t had that since Greg had moved out.

God, if this alpha was only here to collect his dirty clothes then Harry was going to cry. He was gorgeous, smelled incredible, and he treated Harry with respect. He couldn’t have imagined a more perfect roommate if he had tried.

“Is it alright if I come in?” the alpha asked. 

He was serious. Or at least he looked it. He was truly giving Harry the choice as to whether he would be allowed into a room that was technically his as well. Dumbfounded, Harry nodded and shifted back, opened the door wider so the alpha could come in with the rest of his belongings again.

“So, uh, I was hoping we could talk about things, but I feel like there’s something we need to take care of first.” 

Harry had no idea what the alpha was referring to, so he just looked at him while the alpha seemed to get more nervous as the seconds ticked on.

Finally taking a breath in and wincing, the alpha said, “I can’t help but notice you’re wearing my hoodie that is beyond rank.”

Right. Shit. Harry had already forgotten about it being there because it was giving him such comfort, but it really was absolutely disgusting. And not his.

“Sorry,” Harry quickly apologized, starting to peel it off.

“No, it’s fine. Really,” the alpha said, his hand held out towards Harry. “I just… look, don’t take this wrong or anything, but my mom’s an omega and two of my younger sisters are too. It seems like you could really use a good cuddle and, if you’re alright with it, I could even scent you if it would help.”

Harry had the hoodie caught in his necklaces and his hair was somehow wrapped up in the hood so it felt like he and the fabric had become one at a moment when he couldn’t see the alpha and he was fairly sure his t-shirt was showing half of his stomach as well. How embarrassing.

“Are you serious?” Harry choked out as he tried to figure out how exactly his necklaces were caught in the folds before then attempting to release his hair. 

When he was finally able to get the hoodie to relinquish its hold of him, he saw the alpha watching him with a poorly concealed smile and an arched brow. 

“You alright, there?” the alpha asked, chuckling. “Looked like the hoodie is as fond of you as you are of it.”

Harry shrugged and cleared his throat before handing it over and straightening his t-shirt.

“Anyway, yeah. I’m serious. We can talk while you recover a little bit, even.”

How was this alpha just showing up on his doorstep and acting so perfectly? Harry honestly didn’t understand how any of this was possible.

“Yeah, alright.”

The alpha smiled brightly and gestured towards Harry’s bed. “You want to get comfortable and then tell me what position is most comfortable for you?”

Harry nodded and then crawled onto the bed and pressed himself against the cinderblock wall. It was so much colder without his sister’s t-shirt there.

“If you could just lay down here facing me?”

The alpha climbed up onto the bed and scooted forward before holding up an arm to welcome Harry in.

He fit perfectly in his arms, and as soon as Harry felt his nose running through his hair, he knew he would do anything he possibly could to keep him right where he was.

“Is it alright if I scent you now?” the alpha asked, whispering as if their intimate position required it. “You can scent me back as well if it helps ground you.”

Harry nodded against his chest before saying, “Yeah, it’s alright.”

Scooting himself up a little bit so he could tuck his face into the crook of the alpha’s neck, he slowly dragged his nose against the soft, sun-kissed skin there where his scent was the strongest Harry had experienced yet. While Harry focused on scenting the alpha for a bit, the alpha waited his turn. When Harry had had his fill, he relaxed into the alpha’s arms and tilted his neck so it was easier for him to access.

Instead of just nosing at Harry, the alpha chose to lick at his neck. It was a much more powerful and longer lasting way to scent someone, but it was also far more intimate. It was a scenting method generally only used between mates or parents and children, and Harry had no idea how he was meant to react to it. 

He did know that his omega  _ loved _ it, whether he was meant to or not. 

Once he had licked a few stripes along Harry’s neck, the alpha pulled back and allowed Harry to shift until he was comfortably leaning against him again.

“How are you feeling?” the alpha asked softly.

Harry really needed to learn the man’s name. He was his dream alpha at this point, it would be nice to at least have a name to put with that description in his head.

“Feeling better already,” he admitted, surprised. He’d never felt relief this thorough or this fast, even when he hadn’t been in as bad of a state before. There really was something about his connection to the alpha that made his actions that much more effective. “But also, do you mind telling me your name? I keep just thinking of you as the alpha, and it’s kind of getting ridiculous.”

“Shit,” the alpha said, chuckling. “I’m so sorry. I keep forgetting you didn’t come into this with the same information I did. Uh, right, so I’m Louis. Louis Tomlinson.”

Harry froze. There was no way. 

“Tomlinson?” Harry asked tentatively.

“Yeah,” Louis dragged out, sounding amused. “What? It’s not that strange of a last name, is it?”

“No,” Harry rushed to say. “No, not at all. Just, uhm. Your mom doesn’t happen to be named Jay, does she?”

Louis pulled back from Harry now and gently lifted Harry’s chin so he would look up at him. “How could you know that?”

Harry closed his eyes for a moment and shook his head. What were the odds?

“I’m Harry Styles, which I guess you already know, but my mom is Anne Twist. Our moms were roommates back in college.”

“What the fuck,” Louis said, his face showing absolute shock. “Seriously?”

Harry nodded, laughing. “My mom has been trying to convince me to call you ever since I moved out here, but I couldn’t get the guts to do it. It felt like she was trying to set us up and I didn’t want to force you into something like that.”

“No, instead you waited for us to be forced together as roommates,” Louis said, eyes twinkling. “My mom has talked about you for years, always saying things like how she would love it if we ended up mated so she and Anne could finally be family for real.”

“Funny how even with as close as they are we haven’t ever met,” Harry said, ruefully. “And now, look at us.”

“Yeah.” Louis shook his head, smiling, and pulled Harry close again. “Look at us now.”

*~~***~~*

“I can’t believe we convinced them to have the families spend Christmas together,” Harry said, bouncing in the seat beside Louis.

They were almost to Harry’s house, where they were going to be celebrating. Louis had been worried that with winter break being almost three weeks long, he might miss Harry. When Harry suggested celebrating Christmas together, Louis quickly agreed and went to work with his family. After he’d confided in her, Jay had quickly agreed to plan a joint celebration, assuring him that the family was more than happy to have a little holiday traveling to do if it meant they’d get to see the Styles-Twists. It felt surreal.

Louis had been smiling the entire drive and Harry was practically vibrating with happiness. 

It was incredible the difference in the omega beside him compared to the day they had met. He had truly blossomed and started to thrive over the past four weeks. He was like an entirely different person now. His hair was springy with curls, his eyes had life to them, and his skin wasn’t even close to the unnatural ivory it had been when they’d first met. It had taken a week for Louis to even realize Harry had a dimple, but now they seemed permanently carved in his cheeks. 

“It’s going to be great,” Louis finally said. It was maybe a little too late, but he didn’t care. It still caused Harry to turn and smile at him. That was all he needed to be happy.

“I’m glad we get a little bit of time together before everyone else descends, though,” Harry said quietly. “It’ll give me time to show you around and still have you mostly to myself.”

Louis smiled and eyed Harry. “What about your mom and Robin?”

Harry shrugged. “They’ll be cool after today. They’ll probably grill you a little bit, feeling a bit protective over the fact that you’re my alpha roommate, but they’ll realize how great you are and it’ll all be fine.”

Louis swallowed harshly as he summoned the courage to finally ask what he’d been trying to for a couple of weeks now.

“Hey, Harry?”

“Yeah?”

Harry’s curls reflected the light of the setting sun and he truly looked ethereal. Louis had no idea what might possess Harry to say yes to his question, but considering they’d been pretty much inseparable since Louis moved in and Harry suggesting the joint Christmas celebration, Louis really hoped he would.

“I’ve been thinking…” Louis concentrated on getting off at the exit and turning onto the road that would lead them to Harry’s neighborhood. “What if… what would you think about…”

“Are you going to actually ask the question or are you going to leave me hanging?” Harry teased, giggling when Louis huffed in frustration.

“I was kind of hoping you’d be interested in dating? Like, exclusively.” 

There. Louis finally spit it out.

“Finally,” Harry said, sounding relieved. “I thought that maybe I was imagining it all between us.”

“What?” Louis looked at Harry in surprise before quickly turning his attention back to the road. “You’ve been waiting for me to ask?”

“Of course I have,” Harry said before reaching over to squeeze Louis’ thigh. “I’ve been hoping you could be introduced to my family as my Alpha ever since we set this up, but I didn’t know if you actually wanted that or not.”

“I…” Louis was completely flabbergasted. He had no idea Harry had been thinking this at all, much less as long as he had been. “Wow.”

“So?” Harry asked, sounding smug that he’d gotten his way, even if it was also what Louis wanted. “Boyfriend? Partner? Alpha and omega?”

Louis shook his head, smiling so wide his cheeks hurt. He reached over and grabbed Harry’s hand in his, lacing their fingers together and squeezing them gently. “Yes. All of the above, please.”

“Okay,” Harry said, happily. “Just to let you know, though, when we get married, I don’t  _ mind _ the term husbands, but I would prefer if we used the term spouse.”

“Rhymes with mouse,” Louis said without thinking. “Yeah, love. When we get married we can be spouses.”

“Thanks, Alpha,” Harry said before leaning forward and pressing a kiss to Louis’ cheek.

Louis was so flustered he missed the turn onto Harry’s street and had to turn around. 

“Maybe we can do some more exploring of our relationship tonight, hmm?” Harry said, smiling as he let go of Louis’ hand so he could park.

“Not now?” Louis asked, surprised and sad that they couldn’t at least have their first kiss before heading in.

Harry looked at Louis like he was out of his depth. “Not unless you want my mom witnessing it, because she’s probably already on the porch.”

Louis leaned to the left so he could see past Harry to the porch, and he was right. A woman who shared Harry’s smile was standing there, waving at Louis.

“Okay, fine. Let’s go meet your mom.”

Harry smiled fondly back and then leaned forward to press a quick kiss to Louis’ lips. “There. Maybe that can hold you until we’re actually alone.”

Louis shook his head as Harry got out of the car and ran around to Louis’ side, pulling the door open. 

“Come onnnnn,” Harry whined, bouncing up and down while Louis took his time unbuckling his seatbelt and getting out himself. As soon as Louis’ door was closed, Harry grabbed Louis’ hand and yanked him towards the house.

Soon enough, Harry had shoved Louis to stand right in front of Anne, who was watching them, bemused.

“Mom, this is Louis. My Alpha.”

Anne arched her brow and smirked.

“Oh, really?” she asked.

“Don’t even say it,” Harry said, laughing. “You were right, blah blah blah. Can you just say hello and welcome him into the house?”

Anne smiled widely and opened her arms. “It’s wonderful to finally meet you, Louis. You look so much like your mom.”

As Louis leaned into her arms, she whispered something else in his ear.

“I always knew it would be you.”

Deep down, Louis thinks he probably did too.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope you liked it :D If you did, please leave a kudos, a nice comment, and maybe even [give the fic post a reblog](https://lululawrence.tumblr.com/post/639862734152941568/no-one-likes-to-be-alone-by-lululawrence-harry) ?


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